Iran sets conditions for nuclear talks with the US

The above content was shared by Mr. Abbas Araghchi in an interview with Iran's Tasnim News agency, published on January 1, 2025.

Mr. Araghchi warned that if the US decides to use previous tactics to pressure Iran as it did during President-elect Trump's first term, it will face similar resistance.

“If the other side rejects the path (of fair negotiations), then it is natural that we will continue on our own path as we have done in recent years and will continue to do now,” the Iranian foreign minister added.

In an interview with Tasnim News, Iran's Foreign Minister also mentioned the country's military capabilities, stating that without the strength of its military forces, they would not be interested in negotiations.

“Our missile capabilities are an important factor in facilitating negotiations,” Araghchi said. “If they could destroy our nuclear facilities with military strikes, why did they spend more than two years negotiating? Why did the US Secretary of State and the G5+1 foreign ministers spend 18 days to reach an agreement?”

According to The Financial Times, last November, US President-elect Donald Trump's team announced plans to re-apply the "maximum pressure" strategy on Iran, targeting its economy, nuclear development, and Iran's ability to support proxies.

The Trump 2.0 administration also announced plans to impose tougher sanctions, particularly on Iran's oil exports - a vital source of revenue for the country.

A few days ago, in a post on social media X, Iran's foreign minister also warned the Trump 2.0 Administration that repeating this policy would lead to failure, just as it did during Trump's first term. He stressed that Tehran was still ready to negotiate but only under fair conditions.

In a related development, Iran is scheduled to hold nuclear talks with three European countries, France, Britain and Germany, in Geneva on January 13. The talks take place just a week before Trump takes office amid escalating tensions over Tehran’s controversial nuclear program.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi confirmed that the meeting was an important opportunity to seek a peaceful solution between the parties.

Iran continues to assert its right to peaceful nuclear energy and denies any attempt to develop nuclear weapons. However, European nations have repeatedly criticized Tehran for increasing its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, which has reached the 60% threshold – a level close to weapons-grade.

The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Mr. Rafael Grossi, warned that Iran is "accelerating" the process of enriching uranium, raising concerns about the possibility of increasing tensions related to the country's nuclear program.